1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cymbal stand and foot pedal assembly for producing and dampening percussion sounds with the cymbal. More particularly, it relates to such a stand and assembly which will allow a single percussionist to produce more complex patterns of percussion sounds from a cymbal than has been possible with prior art cymbal stands. Most especially, it relates to such a cymbal stand and assembly which will allow a percussionist to produce patterns of percussion sounds using a cymbal hitherto possible only with more than one percussionist playing together.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has long been recognized that a foot pedal can be employed to strike a drum, cymbal or similar percussion instrument and to dampen the vibrations produced by such striking. An example of a foot pedal operated apparatus for both striking and dampening percussion instruments is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 647,954. However, in the apparatus disclosed there, both the striking and the dampening are carried out through use of a single foot pedal, and the striking and dampening mechanisms are not independently actuable. Similar teachings are found in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 774,539; 922,706; 1,092,276; and 1,277,123.
Canadian Pat. No. 983,298 discloses separate beaters for a drum, cymbal or similar percussion instrument, each actuated by a foot pedal. U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,032 discloses a foot pedal operated dampener for a timpano drum.
While a variety of approaches for both striking and dampening the vibrations of a percussion instrument by means of a foot pedal are disclosed in the prior art, the prior art arrangements are limited in the different types of sounds that can be produced and controlled using them.